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RAILROAD RAIL SEAT.

Patented Apr. 12, 188 7.

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

MARK POTTER, OF SYRACUSE, NEW YORK.

RAILROAD-RAIL SEAT.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 360,910, dated April12, 1887.

Application filed August 2, [886. Serial No. 209.725. (No model.)

T0 at whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MARK POTTER, a citizen of the United States,residing at Syracuse, in the county of Onondaga and State of New York,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Railroad-RailSeats, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description.

The object of this invention is to provide a seat or chair for themeeting ends of railroadrails which will permit the usual movement ofthe rails incident to their contraction and eitpansion, and which willat the same time securely hold said rails to the ties, the grip of saidseat or chair upon the rails being increased as weight is applied to therailsas by a passing car-and in this latter respect my device is inefi'ect an automatic gripping device.

In general terms, the invention consists in the bed-platecombined with arail-receiving plate superposed upon the former and having matchinginclines and slots and rail-engaging lugs, and constructed to receivethe foot of the meeting-ends of adjacent rails in such a manner that asweight is applied to the tread of the rail the rail-receiving plate willmove toward the rail and down into the bed-plate, and thereby increasethe grip of the device upon the rail, as will hereinafter moreparticularly appear.

In the accompanying drawings, illustrating my invention, in the severalfigures of which like parts are similarly designated, Figure 1 is a planview; Fig. 2, a side elevation; Fig. 3, a cross-section taken in theplane of lineman, Fig. 2. Fig. 4 is a perspective View of therail-receiving plate. Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the bed-plate.Fig. 6 is a perspective view of the rail-receiving plate, looking at itsunder side; and Fig. 7 is a perspective view of a detail.

The road-bed and the ties, and also the'rails themselves, may be ofapproved construction, and the rails spiked to the ties in any ordinarymanner, except at the meeting ends of adjacent rails, where myimprovement is applied.

The rails 11 b at their meeting ends are provided with a rail seat orchair consistingof a bed-plate, c, which is spiked to the ties, and arail-receiving "plate, d, which is constructed and arranged, ashereinafter particularly set forth, to interlock with the bed-plate toform, in connection with it, a gripping device to seize and hold themeeting ends of the rails by their foot-pieces; and to this end thebed-plate c is provided with slots e, into which lead inclinesf, risingfrom the face of the said bedplate, and said bed-plate is also providedwith M lugs 9, also rising from its face. The arrangement of theseslots, inclines, and lugs may be substantially as indicated in Fig. 5,to most perfectly receive and secure the meeting ends of adjacent rails.The rail-receiving plate (Z is also provided on its under side withinclined lugs h, which ride upon the inclines f and work intothe slots 6of the bed-plate, slots 2' being provided on said receiving-plate inalignment with its inclines h, to permit theinclines f of the bed-plateto move up into the rail-receiving plate, and thus permit the two platesto approach each other while the railreceiving plate is movingtransversely across the bed-plate. The rail-receiving plateis alsoprovided with lugs j, rising from its upper surface, which engage thefoot-pieces of the meeting ends of the rails a b.

One rail will be provided with elongated recesses to engage the lugs gand j, to permit the usual movement incident to the extension andcontraction of the'rails, while the other rail will have recesses to fitthe other lugs g and j comparatively close,so as to obviate any tendencyto creep. I have shown the rail a provided with the elongated recesses,(here designated k,)a nd the rail provided with the closelyfittingrecesses, (here designated Z.)

The bed-plate will preferably be provided with spike-receiving recessesm on opposite sides, and in Fig. 1 I have designated the spikes bydotted lines, the ties being designated n n.

It will be seen that the rail rests upon the rail-receiving plate d, andthat any downward pressure upon the rail will serve, by reason of theengagement of the inclines f and h,to move the rail-receiving platetransversely of the bedplate, and thus cause the lugs g and j toapproach and to bind more tightly upon the railfoot.

The lug shown in Fig. 7 has its sides cut away at o, in order to let theintermediate tongue enter the slot, while the laterally-projectinginclined flanges above the cut-away portions engage the foot of the railand afford means for hearing down upon the said foot, as well as bearingupon it laterally. Either this form of lug or that shown in the otherfigures may be used.

I am aware that it is not new to make a railchair in two pieces, eachprovided with a railranged substantially as set forth, so that whenweight is placed upon the rails the lugs of the two plates approach andincrease their grip upon the rail, substantially as described.

2. A seat for the meeting ends of railway rails, consisting of abed-plate,and a rail-receiving plate superposed upon the former andprovided with matching inclines and slots, and with rail-engaging lugscombined with and rigidly engaging one of the rails, substantially asdescribed.

3. A seat for the meeting ends of railwayrails, consisting of abed-plate, and a rail-receiving plate superposed upon the former andprovided with matching inclines and slots, and with rail-engaging lugscombined with and rigidly engaging one of the rails, and looselyengaging the other of said rails, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this fllst day of July,A. D. 1886.

MARK POTTER.

\Vitnesscs:

WM. L. Flusnin, A. D. PERRY.

